Common English mistakes that French speakers make
During our many years, we had the opportunity to teach English to many French speakers, and even though French and English share a lot of vocabulary, how the words are used, pronounced and spelled is very different.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the most common mistakes French speakers make when learning English and give tips on how to fix them.
Pronunciation
‘TH’ sound
In French, the ‘th’ sound doesn’t exist. So when they see it in words in English, they tend to pronounce it like a ‘z’ or a hard ‘t’. For example:
● ‘This’ can sound like ‘zis’
● ‘Think’ can sound like ‘tink’
In English, the ‘th’ sound is made by putting your tongue between your teeth. Learn how to make the sound here:
The letter ‘H’
The letter ‘h’ causes problems because it’s not pronounced in French. They call it ‘le h muet’. This leads to two common mistakes:
● Not pronouncing it when you should
Hospital becomes ‘ospital’
hotel becomes ‘otel’
● Overemphasising it
In English, the ‘H’ at the start of words like hotel, hospital, hot, hat, happy, hurricane and help must be pronounced.
The letter ‘R’
The letter ‘I’
Vocabulary
Faux amis or False Friends
● attendre ≠ attend → attendre means to wait in French. To attend in English means to be there at an event or a party
Grammar
Is table masculine or feminine?
✅ The plant is very pretty.
✅ The pen is functional.
Adjectives
✅ A red car
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